Difference in Gender
by Sinful Existence
Summary: Kyouya's attempts to teach Haruhi the difference in their genders after the beach fiasco goes a bit further than Kyouya meant.


I've been rewatching Ouran Host Club and couldn't help but write this in response to the beach episode. This is going to be similar in style to Kiss Your Life Goodbye, in I'm going to try to keep the canon stuff intact and mere edit parts either in the middle or that aren't directly viewed in the episode. (My originality astounds me...)

This is going to be a one-shot, so what you see is what you get. It's based purely off the anime. The dialogue is roughly in line with the Japanese language version.

Music corner: Before My Body Is Dry (Karaoke/Instrumental) - Kill la Kill OST and Chilly Night, Kyouya's Character Song.

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Haruhi turned off the faucet for the sink after washing out her mouth and brushing her teeth. Well, as well as she'd been able to brush her teeth without a toothbrush. A finger covered in toothpaste hardly counted, but it was a far better flavor than what proceeded it. She dried off her face as she gazed at her reflection, eyes sad for the crab that had been lost. _What a wasteful thing I've done..._

She hung up the towel and sighed to herself. She shouldn't have been so aggravated with Tamaki, even if she _was_ offended by his insistence that being a woman meant letting men like those from earlier get what they want.

She shook off the thought and walked out of the bathroom, a bit hesitant now as the situation sunk in. _I was in such a rush, I just plunged into the nearest room. Where am I?_

She heard a voice cut into her thoughts, "All done?" Her eyes moved up to a figure in the room, drying his hair. He was kind of attractive, though being around the boys of the Host Club sort of made you partially immune to such things. Still, it caught her off guard to come out of the bathroom only to find some guy shirtless in his room.

She broke herself from her thoughts and bowed a bit, "I'm sorry for intruding into a stranger's room like that..."

He pulled the towel out of his face a bit as he dried his hair and she felt a bit embarrassed as he spoke, though the realization had hit her at the sight of his face, "How rude. It's me."

"Kyouya-senpai?"

Well, it was weird seeing him without his glasses, though. And his face had been partially covered. One could hardly blame her.

She remembered the talk with the twins earlier, her hands clasping behind her back as she spoke, "Ah! I'm sorry, I seem to have gotten everyone worried about me."

Kyouya eyed her as she spoke. It was true, she had worried everyone today. Himself especially, which was a feeling he didn't entirely appreciate. He was an Ootori. As such, he should remain calm at all times. Frankly, he'd felt more frustrated at his inability to act in time to be of help to her. Tamaki had beaten him to going after Haruhi, while the twins beat the hell out of the two men before he could confront them. In the end, he took their IDs and notified the authorities, but the entire situation still irked him.

Moreso than that, a good deal of his frustration stemmed from the fact that she seemed to not understand that anything was wrong. He couldn't really fault the other four Host Club members she was still talking to at the moment for their actions, but Kyouya was pretty sure they had babied her and consoled her. Even if they talked to her about it, as he assumed since she had just apologized for worrying everyone, he doubted they told her in a way that made her really understand what she should be apologizing for.

He sighed inwardly. Why was he always the one that had to play the villain?

He stood up and draped the towel around his neck, his voice light and unconcerned, "I wasn't particularly worried." He took a sip of his water, going through his next course of action through his head, planning out what he would do. He would do what the others were not willing to do and impress upon her the mistake she made today.

He didn't bother looking at her, talking about it as calmly as if the subject were the weather, "It was difficult to stop Hikaru and Kaoru from beating those punks to death, though."

Haruhi could pretty much hear the accusation in his remark, feeling a bit guilty as well as amazed that the twins went that out-of-control over it.

Kyouya continued as he crossed the room toward the light switch, "Also, there was the trouble I went to sending bouquets to the girls by way of apology, after looking forward to coming along on this trip."

Whatever comical feeling she got from the idea of the unstoppable twins left abruptly at that statement. She couldn't help but feel guilty. Moreso for the girls that had their day ruined, but also for making Kyouya have to spend club expenses on her again. Her guilt made the words spill from her mouth, "I'll pay for those flowers myself."

Kyouya didn't show any outward signs, though inside he was pleased to know she was as easy to read as he thought. Of course he knew she was rather noble. There was no way he was going to mention it and not have her react in such a way. It was just... so Haruhi.

He reached out for the light control, slowly drawing the slider down and dimming the lights until they were completely off, "The bouquets cost 50,000 yen per person, so it comes to 600,000 yen."

He didn't know whether to be pleased that his plan was going so well, or be aggravated at the fact that Haruhi could just stand there in a dark room with a boy with the only thought in her head being... "Why did you turn the lights off?" Honestly, the girl was so dense it was a wonder she'd kept her innocence this long.

He decided on the direct approach and leaned down to be at eye level with Haruhi, a look on his face she wasn't familiar with. She almost wanted to say he was in host mode, but his host mode was definitely a bit more formal and almost light-hearted. This was more... dark?

He gave her a seductive smile as he gazed at her, his voice coming out as a low purr, "If you want to, you could pay for those flowers with your body." Before she could fully process the implications of his words, he reached out and gripped her wrist firmly, pulling her onto his bed. He was quick to pin her against the mattress, his body caging her beneath him as he hovered over her form. His eyes were half-lidded and so dark at this point that Haruhi couldn't tell the pupils from the irises. Her heart hammered in her chest as her half-naked senpai practically straddled her, something that made her lock up in confusion.

The smile left his face, his voice still warm and seductive but with a hint of menace now, "You should rethink your own gullibility, that things have nothing to do with a person being a boy or a girl. You've made a mistake in leaving yourself so open."

Her eyes widened slightly as she looked up at him, her shock turning to understanding. He was just playing the villain to make a point. _So that's it..._ She honestly never thought of how much stronger a male could be. Though part of the point was missed entirely. Maybe it was so long not thinking about romance or sexual matters, possibly coupled with the desensitizing that the Host Club gave her about such matters, but some connections still weren't being made.

She looked up at him and spoke quietly, "You won't do it though, Kyouya-senpai." He looked surprised but she continued on, trying to find a way to get out of it without directly pointing out that she'd found him out, "After all, there's no merit, nothing to be gained, from doing this to me."

He had to fight back the urge to just pinch the bridge of his nose and groan at her. Seriously? Nothing to be gained? Did she even understand why a man would do something like this to her? Of course there was something to gain. A man always had something to gain from a woman.

He decided to bluff a little further, to see if she could be coaxed into realizing the issue. He let on another dark smile and leaned in closer to her, watching as her eyes widened a bit further in confusion. After all, she'd called him out on it in a way, right? Shouldn't he have backed off?

Kyouya's lips came dangerously close to hers and he braced himself more on one of his arms as his free hand moved to brush against her side. She inhaled sharply, a blush rising in her cheeks, "K-Kyouya-senpai?"

His eyes caught hers hypnotically, trapping her in his gaze much like a snake zeroing in on its prey, "Nothing to gain...? I think you have plenty you can give me, Haruhi." He felt tense as her eyes stared up at him, but comprehension seemed to still not dawn on her. Did he need to march around, waving around a damn sign?

At this point, he should have pulled away. He should have just been blunt with her and told her directly where her error lay and be done with it. However, he was having difficulty pulling away from her. It took him a moment to realize that her eyes had him as trapped as he'd trapped her. He'd never been this close to Haruhi for any length of time, largely due to his need to keep his self-control. Something about the girl stirred him up in a way he hadn't felt since Tamaki had come into his life and turned it upside-down. She wasn't afraid of him, nor was she one of the girls that draped themselves over the hosts. She wasn't one of the various golddiggers at his fathers' parties that hung all over him as he gave false smiles to keep their family's business. She was just... Haruhi. She was genuine in a way he wasn't used to. Incredibly dense and naive at the worst times, sure, but she was honest and hard-working, as well as caring and upbeat.

Of course, it helped that she was somehow able to handle the hosts most of the time and that her natural talent as a host brought in a lot of money for them. He'd been around her long enough now, though, to know that those weren't the only reasons he liked having her around. And that was a dangerous thought, because a girl like her could surely be his undoing. He was an Ootori and he couldn't let her open him up. He couldn't let someone like her wedge her way into his heart and make a mess of it.

Haruhi was having similar issues with being unable to move away. Part of her knew that being under him was a bad thing, but she couldn't fathom why. Having him so close was making her heart race, though. It had been a while since she let herself admit that the hosts were all rather attractive, Kyouya especially so. The way he was leaning close to her, it felt like he might kiss her. But he wouldn't do that, right? After all, she was just Haruhi. She wasn't someone rich or influential. She wasn't anyone worth his time. She was just the commoner. After her initial issues in the Host Club with Princess Ayanokoji, she quickly grasped that, even if the hosts accepted her as a peer and friend, she couldn't actually be _close_ with any of them. They were in their own league.

Especially Kyouya. He was an elite, from a very prestigious family. He would probably end up in some kind of arranged marriage that would benefit their family well. There was no way they would allow someone like him to end up with a commoner.

It was weird that she was thinking this about him, but she couldn't help that of all the hosts, Kyouya appealed to her the most. Other than Mori, he seemed to be the most calm. He didn't swing her around and call her weird names. While the others made a big deal of her "commoner culture" to a degree that frankly made her uncomfortable, Kyouya treated her like any other person. He had some questionable practices at times, but it was obvious that he worked hard for the Host Club and its members, even if he had an odd way of showing it at times. She didn't know what she felt for her raven-haired senpai hovering over her, but she knew he would never see her as more than another host.

 _Pull away..._ Kyouya thought to himself. _Keep control. Don't lose your head over a girl._ He started to pull back, just the littlest bit. The result was something like hurt shooting through Haruhi's expression. Hurt and a weird sort of 'I knew it' look. Like she expected it. Without much realizing what he was doing, he came right back in close to her and captured her lips with his own. It hadn't even really been intentional. He'd seen his action had hurt her feelings somehow and reacted without thought. Now that their lips were together, though, he could scarcely bring himself to pull from her.

Haruhi didn't push him away, but she didn't know what to do in response, either. This was Kyouya-senpai. She never in a million years would have thought he'd do something like this. She still wasn't sure how she felt about him, but she did know that she wasn't keen on ending it before he did. She doubted this sort of thing would happen again.

His thoughts were along the same lines. He doubted he'd get another opportunity to do something like this to Haruhi. For the sake of his sanity and self-control, he certainly hoped not. But now that the damage was done, he couldn't help but get greedy. The hand on her side lifted to instead weave his fingers into her hair, pulling her head up closer as he angled his head and deepened the kiss. A small gasp escaped her lips and he used the opportunity to trace his tongue along her bottom lip, asking entrance. Her response was to reach up and thread her fingers into his hair in a similar manner. He took that as permission and his tongue delved into her mouth, not overly dominating or fast but still very much in control of the kiss. He was slowly and methodically taking her breath away bit-by-bit, the kiss slow as he seemed to be pretty much savoring it. Savoring her.

Her nails unconsciously grazed against his scalp as her fingers gently ran through his hair and he had to hold back the groan that threatened to break from his throat. He shifted his weight to rest on the elbow of his other arm, the hand which had been bracing him against the bed coming up to pry her hand from his hair and pin it to the bed next to her head. He was already having a hard enough time controlling himself without her doing things like that.

Haruhi couldn't help the small swell of pride in her chest at the fact that, though short-lived, she'd found a way to shake Kyouya's self-control a bit. The pace and gentleness of the kiss had greatly surprised her, though. She hadn't known what to expect from him in that regard, largely due to never having thought this would happen, but he seemed to be the type to her that would be demanding and rough. The kind that would want it his way and get it his way. She felt a bit embarrassed by that assessment, especially while being kissed in a way that made her feel like she was going to melt into the bed.

She was a bit disappointed when he pulled away, though it gave her a chance to breath properly now. But now they were stuck staring at each other, the same thoughts reflecting in both their eyes.

 _Now what?_

Neither was sure how to proceed, especially since it wasn't supposed to have happened in the first place. Kyouya saw her looking contemplative and nearly held his breath, wondering how she would respond. He'd essentially force himself on her, even if she didn't resist. She couldn't have been too happy with him.

When she opened her mouth, she said the last thing he'd expected.

"You're even nicer than I thought, Kyouya-senpai."

He looked at her like she'd grown a second head, which pulled a small chuckle from her. Her laughter was enough to draw out the tension from his body and he slowly pulled himself to sit up, watching her sit up beside him. She was blushing and still out of breath and he had to steel himself to not jump her again with that sort of expression. Her words had been sobering enough to help with that, as he was infinitely curious as to how any of that could be considered 'nice'. He fumbled for his glasses on the table, putting them on as he listened to her talk.

She had a more comprehending look in her eyes, the message having gotten through finally once she looked back on the situation, "You were just backing up what Tamaki-senpai said, right?"

Kyouya stood up with his back to her so she didn't have to see his face. The comment about Tamaki just made him feel uneasy. True, his initial intention had been to reinforce Tamaki's lesson from earlier, but it wasn't to back up Tamaki, but simply because he agreed with Tamaki's point on the matter. Hearing their king's name, however, made a surge of jealousy well up inside him. This was another reason why he wasn't supposed to touch her. A reason he'd conveniently forgotten in his passion. It was obvious that Tamaki was smitten with Haruhi, even if the idiot didn't realize it himself. As much as Tamaki could get under his skin, he was Kyouya's best friend, which just complicated things for everyone involved.

He almost didn't hear her as she added on, "You intentionally played the bad guy to show me that, right?"

 _No_ , he thought bitterly, _I really am a bad guy. You're just too gullible and trusting to realize it._

Before he could say anything to her, Kyouya heard a knock on the door. Right, Tamaki had said something about a sunburn and lotion earlier. Of all the people he didn't want to see right then, it had to be Tamaki.

Kyouya watched as Tamaki didn't even wait for a response and simply opened the door, "Kyouya? Do you have any lotion? This sunburn is worse than I thought-" Tamaki was brought up short at the sight of Kyouya shirtless, in the dark, with Haruhi sitting on his bed. There were very few ways to interpret that and none of them were good.

Tamaki's face contorted into a rare expression of rage, for a moment wondering if Kyouya had sunk so low as to force himself on Haruhi and having no clue that he was technically right, "Kyouya, you-!"

Kyouya gave a sigh and draped his shirt over his shoulder, his other hand nearly shoving a bottle of medicated sunblock lotion into Tamaki's face, "Here. Use as much as you want, you goof." He slipped out before either Tamaki or Haruhi could say a word, closing the door and nearly leaning his back against it. Damn that Tamaki.

He supposed it was for the best, though. The temptation had been too much for him and he'd already taken it further than it should have been taken at all. He only hoped that Haruhi might let this drop. She certainly knew when to use tact. Maybe they could pretend it never happened. It wasn't like there was any merit in possibly getting between Tamaki and Haruhi.

"Merit, huh?" He muttered to himself as he walked down the hall. Though as much as he felt guilty and uneasy about having let his hormones get the best of him back there, he couldn't help the smile on his face as he remembered the blush on her face and how she'd responded to the kiss in kind. He lightly touched the back of his head where her fingers had been, nearly chuckling to himself, "An interesting thought, in its own way."

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So that's it. Hope it was okay for the KyoHaru shippers.


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